Watching Eyes
by Lunoin
Summary: Vincent Valentine is always stuck on the past. Yuffie Kisaragi is only worried about her future. AU. Does not take into account Dirge of Cerberus
1. Prologue

**Title:** Watching Eyes

**Prologue**

**Author:** LuNoin

* * *

Disclaimers: Final Fantasy VII and its characters are property of SqareEnix, praise be to SqareEnix.

Author's note: This is a newer version of an unfinished fanfiction I uploaded a LONG time ago. I have rewritten the storyline and some things will be changed, and some will not.

Timeline: This story takes place 4 years after FFVII and it does not take into account the Advent Children and Dirge of Cerberus storylines.

"Normal" talking

"_Italics" _ thoughts

Fandom notes: Yuffie appears in the Jump Festa Dirge of Cerberus trailer. I'm hopeful the game will contain some interaction between Yuffie and Vincent. I don't think it will be romantic in nature; but I'm sure it will help the fandom find some new plot inspiration. The NA release is in August 2006. Reserve your copy now!

* * *

Yuffie Kisaragi ran as fast as she could. It was raining relentlessly in the Kalm area. The cold rain she had welcomed at first, as a reprieve to her heated body, was now slowing her down. She knew she had to find shelter before her body would give out.

"I hate this," she muttered as lighting struck near. The flash of light illuminated her dark surroundings, and for the first time she could see a building a few meters in front of her. She ran to it noticing that it was an abandoned mansion. "_It's not an inn, but it's good enough." _She went past the old vine wrapped gates and took shelter in the entrance. To her surprise, she saw some lights inside the dilapidated building. Without hesitation, she ventured to knock on the door.

"_The owner couldn't possibly deny shelter to a poor, defenseless, young woman in this pouring rain." _Despite her exhaustion, she found energy to chuckle at the poor soul who would classify her as such.

No answer came. She knocked again. Her body was beginning to cool down and her limbs were starting to feel heavier and heavier. She leaned on the door to rest her forehead on it. She continued to knock on the door; each knock sounded quieter than the last, as exhaustion began to take its toll on her.

She finally slumped on the floor, her head still resting on the door. _"I guess no one's home. I might as well rest here, at least I'm sheltered from the rain." _She resigned herself and sleep began to overtake her. When the door jerked open she tried to lift her head as she felt strong arms wrap around her and turn her body upward. The task was too much for Yuffie's body to undertake and amidst her state she mentally snickered derisively at her earlier musings, "_I guess I am poor, defenseless, young woman after all." _

Deciding to at least try an act like the competent ninja she prided herself on being, she plowed through and made herself look up. Yuffie could only make out a chin peaking through a mass of long black hair. The man who held her did not seem particularly dangerous at the moment; and, truth be told, Yuffie was too tired to care. She let herself fall asleep.

* * *

Her dreams were plagued with blue-green eyes that ubiquitously followed her. She stirred back into consciousness. "_Where the hell am I?" _She thought looking around. It took her a moment to remember what had happened. "I passed out," she whispered.

"_And what did we learn from this little stint?" _She chided herself mentally. "_Just because you're in a hurry, it doesn't mean you don't need to rest. Moron!_" The room was dark, "_Mustn't have slept that long, then._" She watched the rain was sliding down the window at a rapid pace.

Her ninja training kicked in. As drilled into her at an early age, she began to assess the situation. She could move herself and, besides fatigue, felt no negative response from her muscles. She inspected the room she was in. It was an elegant bedroom, nothing stood out besides the fact that everything looked dusty. "_Who would have such an organized room yet not even bother to clean it?" _She wandered. The only clean object in the room was the bed.

"Don't have time for this," she muttered, coming back into opened the door and stepped into a corridor. There were no bright lights, just darkness and the sporadic glow of thunder that came through the windows. She made her way into the end and into a big hall. The hall was in the same state as the previous room. There was a sofa, a love seat, a tea table, and a chimney. They were all covered with spider webs and dust.

A light coming from an adjacent room caught her attention. She walked to it. Yuffie, still a firm believer in the attacking first and asking later philosophy, mechanically prepared to grab Conformer at the slightest provocation. "_You don't have it on you, stupid." _She cursed in her mind as she lowered her hand. A soft light coming from a candle illuminated two tall armchairs looking toward the window. From the left armchair she could see an elbow peaking from the right side. The person in the chair shifted slowly, she could now see a book dangling from the obviously masculine hand. "Hi-," her greeting was cut off by the stranger's smooth voice.

"How are you Miss Kisaragi?" he asked. The fact that he seemed to know her name didn't alarm her, the familiarity of the voice did. The man turned, his crimson eyes looking at her.

"Vincent Valentine," she whispered. He nodded, as a greeting or as an affirmation; she didn't know. "How… How are you?" she asked meekly, not knowing what else to say. A long moment passed before he motioned her to sit, at the armchair opposite to his. She sat down, never letting her eyes off him. With a few smooth and efficient movements, he marked a page in the book, closed it, and put it by the windowsill.

"If I may ask," his voice was low, yet commanding. "Why are you here?" The accusation behind the question was not lost on Yuffie.

"I was traveling and there was this storm," Yuffie recounted, "I ended here. I saw the house and knocked on the door. I didn't know this was your house, though." He watched her, curiously.

The long pause that followed irked Yuffie, but made it a point not to let it show. "_You are in thin ice, woman. Smile at the creepy man._" She smiled at him; he only raised an eyebrow.

"Where were you going?" he asked. This time it was she who kept silent.

"_What do I tell him?_" she thought clearly distressed. He seemed to understand her hesitation as he changed the topic. Her eyes flashed gratefulness, but he did not seem to notice.

"I imagine you will stay the night." He stated. As opposed to general opinion, Vincent Valentine was not about to let a comrade, even the annoying ninja in front of him, brave the raging storm outside. He narrowed his eyes at her, "_on the other hand, if she tries anything…_" He did not continue the thought, as she did not seem to refute his statement.

Yuffie looked out the window; it did not seem the rain would stop tonight. Deafening thunder roared outside and she was quite glad to be indoors for once. "Thank you," she said casting her eyes to her feet.

Vincent watched Yuffie as she continued to stare at her feet as if they were the most interesting things in the world. He had never seen the ninja quiet for more than a few seconds and this demeanor seemed quite uncharacteristic. Her eyelids were half closed now and she was swaying softly back and forth. _"She must be falling asleep." _He concluded. Having no wish to carry her again to the bedroom, he said, "If you need to sleep, you can use the room where you were earlier."

His voice seemed to awake her from her trance and she nodded. "Thank you for everything." He just nodded as she slowly exited the room, half sleep. She had taken a few steps into the hall when he heard her rapidly step back into the room.

He watched her look around the room, as if looking for something. "Do you want something to sleep with?" he asked. She blinked at him, confusion written on her face." Not understanding her reaction he added, "I would have changed you into something dry, but it didn't seem proper." She looked down at her wet clothes as if it were the first time she's seen them. Understanding dawned on her.

"Actually, I just was wandering where my bag was." She said, blushing at the thought of him changing her clothes.

The blushing young woman in front of him was something Vincent was not prepared for. It had been more than 30 years since a girl had blushed at him. A lifetime ago… Back when he was a Turk, he wouldn't have thought twice at the gesture; but that was a part of his life that, like many others, he thought dead.

Yuffie watched the pensive man in front of her. _"Is that an expression on his face?" _she thought with incredulity. If it were any man other than Vincent Valentine, she would have sworn she saw nervousness in his face. She then remembered her bag. "My bag?" she demanded, taking him out of his reverie. "Where is it?" He seemed surprised at her outburst and she quickly added with a tense smile, "My clothes are in my bag."

"The hall," he answered relieved, abandoning his train of thought. She dashed out the room and returned with the wet bag in her arms. She sat in the armchair again and quickly emptied the contents of the bag in the floor. She then scurried through the amorphous mass of damp clothes and weaponry. _"Where is it?" _She was beginning to panic, until she found a small canvas bag. "_I thought I lost it…" _She clutched the object in her hand as she calmed herself. She looked up to see Vincent watching the spectacle in front of him. A scowl quickly turned into his usual glare as she sheepishly smiled at him.

"_He must think I'm crazy now…"_ She thought starting to put her belongings back in the bag. She could feel his cold eyes burning a whole into her back. As she shoved a fistful of her clothes in the bag she noted that it was underwear. She paled as she looked underneath her and could see more underwear sprinkled on top of the pile. "_I hope the earth swallows me alive!_" Her face blushed in seven different shades of red as she quickly took all her clothes and put them into her back. _"Did he see them?"_ She frenetically asked herself as she finished the task. She swallowed and looked up at him, trying to look as natural as possible.

He did not even look at her as he left the room. He stopped for a second at the door and added. "You will stay in the room you woke up in. You can hang your clothes to dry in the adjacent bathroom," he said exiting the room. No response came from Yuffie and he did not wait for one. She heard his voice as he retreated to the hall. "The lights went out because of the storm. Take the candle if you want."

She stood there for a full minute, not knowing what to do. She then took her bag and rested it on her shoulder and grabbed the candle. She could have left the candle; she had already navigated through the house in darkness. But she took it anyway, hoping it would prevent any further embarrassment. Sadly the candle could not protect her from the fact that she had forgotten to ask for dry clothes to sleep in. She toyed with the idea of prowling around the house to take up Vincent's offer of dry clothes but decided to against it. _"Today was a long day. I better cut my losses and fall asleep quietly before I make a fool of myself... again."_

Thankfully the clothes in the bag were only partly damp as opposed to the wet clothes she had on. She changed into a pair of short black pants and a bright yellow shirt. She laid the rest of her clothes around the bathroom to dry them out and held on to Conformer and the small canvas bag.

She unceremoniously plopped herself on the bed and let Conformer fall on the floor beside her. She then lifted the right side of the mattress and squeezed the small canvas bag into the space. She hoped the rest would do her good. "Who knows if I'll get the chance to sleep in a bed again soon?" she told herself, "Might as well make it count." She yawned one last time before tucking in for good.

Sweat deposited itself on Yuffie's brow as she kept tossing between the sheets. When she opened her eyes she found herself suddenly jerking into a sitting position. She put her hand on her chest as if trying to restrain her wild beating. She grimaced as a ray of light that came through the window hit her straight in the face. _"I need to stop having the same crappy nightmare every night." _She joked to herself, even snorting at her feeble attempt to compose herself. She knew she would eventually have to get up from the bed, but she hoped that the bed would swallow her up and she would not have to face the oncoming day.


	2. OLD CHAPTER 2

Title: Watching Eyes

Part 2

Author: LuNoin

* * *

Disclaimers: Yuffie Kisaragi, Vincent Valentine and other FFVII characters are property of SquareEnix. Shitsubou Kouu and my other half baked ideas are mine.

Dedications:

Yuffie Valentine (the one with the page): Thanks for the nice words and for posting my fic in your page ^^.

Yuffie Valentine (the one in that left): Your fics inspired me, I hope you would do more.

To all the Yuffie+Vincent writers out there: Keep them coming! I love to read Y+V fics ^^!

To all the other ppl that reviewed the first part: Your comments are what keep me writing.

Thanks to all of you.

And to my evil twin sister (Malu :P): Haha! Yuffie and Vinnie 4 ever!

* * *

Yuffie fell sprawled facedown at the ground. Her body was hurting, but she didn't care. She was more concerned with what was taking place. She lifted her head up and looked around. Vincent had gotten up and was running toward her. She felt the other man behind her and quickly turned around and got up as quickly as she could. Vincent picked her up in his arms and ran for cover.

"Come on, Kisaragi," the man said, "aren't you tired of running?" He was trying to make her reveal her position. Yuffie remained quiet and held onto Vincent. "Yuffie," he called her. "Don't you want to come out and play."

"My bag is inside the house," Yuffie whispered to Vincent, "I need you to protect it at all cost. I'm going to lead him away, take the bag and go to Wutai, Godo will tell you what to do. I'll get there as soon as I loose him." Vincent didn't understand what was happening, but he knew he didn't want Yuffie to run away with that guy after her. She tried to get up, but his arm was holding her by her waist.

"I don't know what's going on," he whispered back at her, "but I'm not going to let you take that guy by yourself!" She cupped his face with her hand and caressed his face. She gave him a light kiss on the lips and smiled sadly. "Slow," she said using her time materia, the one she always had hidden. Vincent tried to move, but to no avail.

She mouthed the word sorry. She got up and turned to look at the strange man. "You sure are quick, Shitsubou Kouu." She said sarcastically at the man. Her face showed no kind of emotion.

"Well, Kisaragi Yuffie," he emphasized her name mockingly, "You sure are perceptive."

"How about we stop the small talk and get down to business." Yuffie said. He didn't say anything as he threw a ball of energy her way. She quickly dodged it and ran toward the house to get her weapon.

"This is going to be fun," he said disappearing into thin air.

* * *

It took some time for Vincent to free himself from the spell. He ran to the house, trying to find Yuffie and the other man. When he got there he found that now he had a giant hole in the middle of his hall. There was no sign of Yuffie or the Conformer. _She must be on her way to Wutai, if she's ok…_ He tried to shake the thought of anything happening to her. _Her bag… _He ran upstairs and got her bag. He didn't like to violate her privacy, but he had to know with what he was dealing with. He opened her bag; inside he found clothes and other feminine items. He took them out and put them beside the bag. He continued his search; he found some materia, another weapon and the Leviathan Scales. _The Leviathan Scales? Why does she have that? Maybe Cloud gave it to her after meteor was destroyed. Better get to Wutai soon._ Vincent ran out of the house and mounted Black. He got to the Chocobo Ranch as fast as he could. He got the gold chocobo* that Avalanche had in there, Spiky (named after one of Marlene's observation after noticing that the chocobo looked like Cloud, only cuter), and went as fast as he could to Wutai. _Yuffie…_ He rode the Chocobo on top of the water, the sea breeze blowing his long silky hair; he was silent, only trying to imagine what he would find in Wutai.

* * *

Yuffie had already lost him, at least that is what she wanted to believe. She knew that he had figured out that she didn't have the scales with her, therefore he had to wait until she reveals its location. _I'm going to have to get the scales sooner or later. I'll give Vincent two days to get to Wutai and to talk with da.. Godo… Meanwhile…_ She knew that Cid was doing his weekly trip to Junon, so she decided to hitch a ride with him. Obviously without him knowing, that would just get him into her mess and she didn't want to get him away from Shera. _Shera must love him very much to put up with his foul disposition. Now that she's pregnant I guess she'll try to reform the poor bastard before the bundle of joy arrives. _She laughed a little, imagining Cid trying not to say dirty words in front of the baby. _He'll be just like Barret! _

That thought made her go into a fit of giggles. Her sore arm got her out of her happy thoughts; she cast a cure on herself and leaned back. A crate supported her body. She felt tired and sore all over her body. But nothing could take away the tingling sensation in her lips, where Vincent had kissed her earlier that night. She could do nothing but dream that she would once again feel that way again.

* * *

Vincent was tired; he had been traveling all night long, the morning light was slowly covering the horizon. He could see Da-chao Mountain in the distance. He signaled the chocobo to go faster. An hour later he got to Wutai. He quickly dismounted Spiky and almost ran to the pagoda. He let Spiky outside, took Yuffie's bag and entered the pagoda.

Gorki greeted him in the first floor. "Mr. Valentine," he said bowing, "Nice to see you again." Vincent didn't even answer; he just dashed to the stairs. Gorki tried to stop him, but Vincent was too fast. In the second floor, Shake heard the commotion. He saw Vincent quickly making his way past him and Gorki running behind him. He tried to catch Vincent, but he bumped on Gorki. On the third floor, Chekhov didn't have any more luck than the other two. When Vincent got to Staniv, who had heard the all yelling he guessed Staniv knew what was going on so he showed him Yuffie's bag. Staniv went pale and quickly ordered the other three to stop. He nodded and took him to see Godo.

"Lord Godo," he said bowing, "Vincent Valentine is here to see you, he brings news of Miss Yuffie." Godo nodded and motioned Staniv to sit by his side and ordered the rest of the protectors to stay at their stations. They did as they were told. Vincent sat in front of Godo.

Normally Vincent would show respect to Godo, but right now he didn't have the strength and the will to do it. He took the Leviathan Scales out of the bag and showed them to him. "Tell me what's going on" he demanded. Godo looked at the scales with sadness.

"The only way you could have that is if Yuffie gave it to you. The only reason she would part with it is if Shitsubou Kouu has appeared. Where has she been?"

"With me, but that's not the point. What is going on?" Vincent was getting irritated.

"Can we tell him, master?" Staniv asked.

"If Yuffie trusted him with the scales, she's trusting him with her life. We should do the same." He turned to look at Vincent. "These are the Leviathan Scales, they have been passed on from generation to generation since the birth of Wutai. The rule of Wutai doesn't come from my side of the family, but from my late wife's. When she died we lost the scales, until Yuffie came across them in one of her adventures with Avalanche. Since then the cycle has begun again. My wife told me the story of the scales a long time ago. She said that in the birth of Wutai, there were two friends on top of Da-chao Mountain. They both had ancient heritage. One of them was an ancestor of my wife's family named Kagetsu. The other friend was Shitsubou Kouu. They were best friends and their love was pure. They prayed for the planet to give them strength to protect their land. The planet heard their prayers and gave them immortality and strong magic. At first they were fine, but then the power corrupted Shitsubou. He became greedy and abused his power. Kagetsu tried to stop him, but she couldn't. Scared that she too would be corrupted like Shitsubou, she took her powers and sealed them in the Leviathan Scales. Since then Shitsubou, who wanted to join with her and her powers, has tried to make the ancestors of my family use the powers of the scales. He then would join their powers, making him even more powerful."

"So you are saying that he's trying to make Yuffie use the scales and then he would join her power with his?" Vincent tried to understand his story.

A part of the ceiling came down. Shake and Gorki were spying on them. Gorki, trying to sound like he was already part of the conversation added. "Then it's ok! Yuffie would never use the scales if she knows what's going to happen! There's nothing to worry about."

A sweat drop formed in Godo's forehead, trying hard not to yell at them. His face turned serious, after thinking of what Gorki said. "That is what Maki, my wife, did. And you all know how that turned out." There was a long pause after that.

"Has Yuffie been with you all this time?" asked Godo.

"Yes," Vincent said looking into his eyes.

"How did Shitsubou appear?" he asked.

"We were outside my home in Kalm when he appeared and attacked us. She said to me to take her bag to Wutai and that she'd get here latter." Vincent didn't knew since when he started to think of his mansion as his home, he just knew that without Yuffie it wouldn't be anything more than a house.

Godo sensed that there was something that he wasn't telling him, but he didn't want to aggravate the already stressed man.

"What can we do to help Miss Yuffie?" asked Staniv worriedly.

"Right now the only thing we can do is wait," said Godo looking down. _The only thing I'm good at is waiting. I waited while he killed my wife and I'm waiting for him to hurt my daughter. I'm useless._

Vincent didn't want to hang around much longer; he didn't need to stay here and watch grown men sulking. He got up. "I'll be around, I'll contact you as soon as I know something. Here's my PHS number (yes, he has a phs. he's antisocial, but he's not stupid)" He gave Godo a piece of paper with his phs number on it. "I'll trust you'll do the same." He bowed and left the pagoda. He had a long walk; he was getting impatient. He saw Da-chao Mountain and decided to climb it. _Besides the Pagoda, this would be the first place Yuffie would come to. I hope she's all right. _He started climbing and quickly got to the top, he sat down and observed Wutai. It was truly beautiful, _just like she said._ He just asked himself where could she be. Was she safe?

* * *

Yuffie got up from her hiding spot; the Highwind had come to a full stop. She had made her way to Rocket Town. She now had to find a way to get to the Wutanian continent. _Koga-chan!** I'll just go to Cid's stable and take her._ She quietly made her way to the stables and found the gold chocobo. She opened the stable's door and took the chocobo outside. She found a message board in the entrance of the stables. She wrote in it: I took Koga-chan with me to Wutai, please come pick her up in a month. My father will be taking care of her, don't worry. Good bye –Yuffie Kisaragi. She inspected the note once more and mounted the chocobo. She could get to Wutai in one hour, if she left right now. She motioned the chocobo to run and they darted to Wutai as quickly as she could.

Kouu was looking at Yuffie riding the Chocobo at top speed to Wutai. "And to think she believe she stands a chance…" He said vanishing in thin air. _That just makes it more fun._

* * *

*- after the end ended they had two golden chocobo. These two chocobo belong to the group in general. They decided to keep one at the Chocobo Ranch and another at Rocket Town.

**Koga-chan is the gold chocobo that they have in Rocket Town.

TBC


	3. OLD CHAPTER 3

Title: Watching Eyes

Part 3

Author: Aura-chan

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Disclaimers: See Part 1

Author Notes: Hi ppl. This part took a long time to make because of the lime scene. I've never done limes or lemons before, so it's taking me a while. If anyone wants to help me, please contact me, I'd appreciate it. I will give credit to you, so if anyone wants to help, plz e-mail me. So I don't alienate any younger viewers I decided to put the lemon version aside and put it in another file. You don't need to read it; it's not crucial to the story line. But if you wan to, plz be patient. I hope to have it up soon. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was already nightfall when Yuffie arrived at Wutai. She ran and put Koga-chan in the stables besides the entrance of the town. As quickly as she could, she ran to the pagoda, where Godo was waiting in the top of the pagoda. She ran up the stairs and past their guardians at top speed. When she go to the top she fell to the floor, trying to catch her breath. Godo ran to her and hugged her. Yuffie was surprised at his actions; let's just say that hugging wasn't a repeated occurrence in the Kisaragi household. She hugged him back; she understood what that meant. He was scared, just like her. He would never say it out loud or admit it, but she knew that much. She just hugged him back. He coughed and took a step back. He looked her over to look for nay wounds, " Nothing crucial, I see…" He said while going back into his normal façade. "You have that moody friend of yours searching all over Wutai for you."

"Vincent was here? Is he all right? What did you tell him?" She asked concerned.

"Yes he was here and yes he's all right. I told him almost everything, not much details, but the basics." He answered her. He knew something must have happened between the two. And he was just itching to know what. "So, what were you doing with Mr. Valentine?"

"He offered me to stay and I accepted. Look, where is he? I need to see him." She wanted to see him again and she didn't want to explain what had happened to him. 

"He's around. I'll call him in his PHS. Meanwhile, you should rest. I won't take no for an answer!" He took his PHS and wrote down the number. He noticed that Yuffie hadn't moved and motioned her to do so. She sighted and went on her way.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

In Da Chao, Vincent started climbing down when he heard his PHS. He answered it.

"Vincent." It was Godo's voice. He knew that he wouldn't call if he didn't have any news about Yuffie.

"I'll be there," he said hanging up. He quickly continued his descend. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Vincent entered the pagoda and ascended the stairs as fast as he could. For the third time today, Godo saw the pagoda in turmoil. This time, the guardians didn't try to stop Vincent; they just followed him upstairs. When Vincent got to the top Godo greeted him with a nod. "I sent her to rest. I believe you know where?" He asked. Vincent nodded and bowed as he left.

"Should we make sure he doesn't try anything with Miss Yuffie?" Gorki asked Godo.

"No, let them be. She's an adult now; she can take care of herself and make her own decisions." Godo answered. Truth be told, he trusted Yuffie and believed in her. He knew the dangers she will have to face, but he knew that she would be victorious. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Vincent got to her house and entered. The only thing Vincent was scared about, in the last 30 years of his life, was himself. That's the only fear he knew how to handle. Feeling like he was going to lose Yuffie made him realize his true feelings, he loved her. He didn't want to fall in love again, but here he was. He entered her room quietly and watched her sleep. It was dark, but small rays of moonlight entered through her window. _I thought I'd never love anyone but Lucrecia._ He knelt down and moved a strand of hair that fell on her face with his metal claw. At the contact with her skin, she saw her slightly move. He quickly removed his claw. He watched the moonlight reflect on it. _I'm a monster; I should have never forgotten that. I'll help her and then I'll leave, for her own sake. _He got up and turned to leave.

"Don't you dare leave me alone," whispered Yuffie. She knew he would hear her. Vincent stopped and turned to look at her. She sat down in her futon. Her eyes locked into his. He couldn't leave her and furthermore, he didn't want to.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Insert Lemon Part Here ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was midday when Vincent opened his eyes, last night's memories fresh in his mind. Yuffie stirred on top of him. He held her, his arm around her waist. A ray of sunlight bothered his sensitive eyes, he tried to move away from the painful rays without waking Yuffie; it didn't work. Yuffie opened her eyes and yawned. She tried to get up to stretch, but Vincent's arm held her down. "Where do you think you're going?" He asked grinning at her. She curled up and rested her head on his chest.

She sighted contently, "Nowhere. I'm going to stay here, like this, forever."

"Sure… I'd like to see you try, though." He said with a soft chuckle. She stuck her tongue out. He took that opportunity to kiss her. Yuffie kissed him back with everything she had. Suddenly they both stopped. Yuffie motioned to one of her room's secret entrances. Vincent nodded in consent. Yuffie quietly got up and took her Conformer. She quickly threw it and it hit the door to the secret compartment.

"I won't miss the next time," She said to the intruder/s. 

"I would hit it right the first time…" said the familiar voice of Shitsubou. Yuffie quickly covered herself and took her Oritsuru. Vincent quickly got his Death Penalty.

"Don't worry," said Shitsubou entering the room, "I'm not here to fight, at least not yet. I just wanted to invite you to a little friendly gathering at the Da Chao caves. Come at nightfall, alone if possible." Yuffie just glared at him. He looked her over, "I think we can have some fun together."

Vincent eyes glowed in a deep crimson red as he shot him with the Death Penalty._ That bastard!_ Shitsubou disappeared before the bullet could hit.

"I see your companion is not to thrilled to see me. I'll be seeing you." He said as he disappeared with a lecherous grin on his face. Yuffie fumed as she ripped the Conformer out of her wall. She leaned on the wall and slid down. _I can't fight that! What am I going to do? I'm hopeless! _Vincent went to her side and picked her up. He kissed her cheek and put her in the futon. She just leaned her head on his shoulder. "What are you going to do?" he asked her.

She didn't answer, to preoccupied thinking of what to do. _I'll have to use the Leviathan Scales and go to Da Chao. If he wants a fight, he'll get one. I'm sure Vincent wouldn't want me going alone, maybe if I don't tell him… no, that wouldn't be fair to him. I'll tell him._ "Vincent, I…" she was interrupted by Vincent's finger on her lips.

"I know, you want to go alone. But you know I'll do anything I can to fight beside you." He said hugging her. Yuffie just nodded and got up.

"We'll go to dad's and eat breakfast," she said getting dressed.

"I think you mean lunch or brunch," he said getting up and doing the same. 

"You know what I mean…" she said smiling. They went to Turtle Paradise to eat breakfast and, after that, they went to the Pagoda to tell Godo of the latest run with Shitsubou. 

"Shitsubou appeared again and formally challenged me." She said sitting down in front of her father. Vincent sat beside her, with his usual mask of coldness on his face. She knew he wouldn't be one to show any kind of affection in public. And that was ok with her, she understood him and accepted him. 

"Did he hurt you? When did he challenge you?" Godo asked concerned.

"Soon after I woke up, he appeared, but we didn't fight him. Nothing really happened." She said explaining her adventure with Shitsubou.

"Did you say we?" asked a grinning Godo. Yuffie looked at Vincent; _he's blushing? _She could tell that Godo didn't notice it, _the only time I ever saw him blush was last night… _ The thought of last night's events brought a blush to her face. This Godo did notice and grinned wider.

"I see," he said using his Leader of Wutai Voice ™. "I'll order an evacuation immediately. Meanwhile, we can talk about the wedding." 

"What!" Yuffie screamed getting up.

"I think you know what I mean," he said trying not to laugh. "I hope you will accept the consequences of your actions, Mr. Valentine."

"No way!" screamed Yuffie, "I'm not ready to marry anyone!"

"So you were ready to make love to him, but you aren't ready to marry him? That doesn't make sense." Said Godo trying to sound mad.

"I… I…" Yuffie didn't know what to say. _Was he right? Vincent…_ She looked at him, her face showing her confusion. Vincent just gave her a small smile and motioned her to look at her father. She did so and almost fell in shook at the sight of her father, on the floor, laughing his head off.

"This was all a joke? You bastard, I'm going to kill you, Old Fart!" She got her Conformer and would have chopped his head off if Vincent hadn't stopped her.

"Calm down," he whispered. She screamed in rage and let the Conformer drop from her hand. Godo, who was controlling his laughter as hard as he could, got up.

"I'm sorry, I just couldn't let a golden opportunity like that pass. Sorry." He turned serious. "Deep within Da Chao you can find the Oritsuru. That was your mother's weapon. You can use the Leviathan Scales extinguish the sacred fires that protects it."

"I know, I already have it." She said getting it out of her bag.

"I see, then the only thing I need to give you is this, come with me… both of you." He got up and led them to his house. He entered the small shrine that he had. He opened a golden box that stood there and took out an old book. He gave it to Yuffie. "This was your mother's diary. She wanted me to give it to you when you were older; I guess now it's a good a time as any."

Yuffie didn't dare open the diary; she just put it in her bag and hugged Godo. Vincent decided to leave them alone, they needed their space.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Yuffie sat with her father, in silence, the absent father-daughter relationship being the main cause of this. Yuffie was tired of it and got up. She turned around and started to walk away when she heard Godo's voice.

"Yuffie, your mother loved you more than anything in the world. That's why she didn't want to use the scales, because if she failed she knew Shitsubou would've killed you. I tried to do everything I could to save her, but I knew that fighting Shitsubou was something your mother had to do alone. As it is something you must do. I have faith that you will succeed and know that, even thought I didn't say it before, I've always been proud of you." Yuffie knew that talking about feelings was something that neither felt comfortable doing, so she just kissed him in the cheek and left. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Vincent was near her house, sitting beside the clear blue river. He watched a fish swim across the river, under the lily pads. He watched his reflection; he noticed a familiar figure behind him. _Yuffie_. Yuffie came from behind him and kissed him. She finished the kiss and sat beside him. They stayed there, watching the river in silence, for so long that they couldn't remember. She sat there, her head resting on his shoulder hoping that time would stop and that the future she knew she had to face would never come to pass. 

The afternoon passed and evening began. She knew it was time. She got up and went inside, Vincent close behind. She took the Conformer and put the necessary materia. Vincent watched her prepare for battle; he watched her take out the Leviathan Scales putting it in her pocket. She took out the Oritsuru and the diary. She wrapped them up in a silk cloth and put it on top of a small table. She went to her changing area, when she came back she was dressed in a short green kimono like dress. She took her hair and tied it in a ponytail at the nape of her neck. She got the silk bundle and gave it to Vincent.

"I want you to take care of this." Vincent just hugged her. "It's time," she said taking step back. Vincent nodded and checked his Death Penalty. She exited the house and they started their way to Da Chao. The streets were empty, the sun disappearing in the horizon. They got to Da Chao and started to make their way to the caves. The normal creatures that inhabited the area didn't attack them; they had sensed the upcoming battle and had hidden away to protect themselves. 

They came to a stop in front of the cave, coming inside would mean that there would be no more coming back. Vincent watched Yuffie hesitate; _this could be the last time I can…_ He took her into his arms and kissed her with all he had, his fears and his hopes mixed in one single kiss. Yuffie kissed him back. All her fears dissolved and she concentrated on him, on the taste of his lips. Their kiss ended abruptly as they heard Shitsubou's laughter coming from deep inside the cave. She took a step back from Vincent and entered the cave. Vincent followed suit. When they got to the end of the cave, Shitsubou greeted them.

"I see you have arrived," he said looking at them with a grin on his face. "The thing is that I only summoned one of you. It doesn't matter; you will be mine either way." He made a ball of energy concentrate in his hand and threw it in the floor of the cave, which made a gigantic hole. 

Vincent watched what was under the hole; it was a river of bright green. _It's the Lifestream! _He watched Shitsubou grin at Yuffie and enter the Lifestream. Yuffie took the Leviathan Scales from her pocket and put it on top of her chest. She whispered some words in a foreign language that Vincent didn't understand and the Scales started to glow. The glow became stronger and stronger, until it engulfed her. When the glow decreased he watched Yuffie look at him with glowing, sad green eyes. She mouthed the words I Love You. Vincent shook her head, not wanting to see what would come next. _She wouldn't…_ She turned to look at the Lifestream and took one final look to her love. She raised her arms and a ball of energy transported Vincent to the foot of Da Chao Mountain. She said one final prayer and threw herself into the Lifestream. There was a flash of light and Vincent watched from his new position as the top of the mountain was blown away in a fiery explosion. _No! Yuffie_! The debris fell upon Wutai, destroying the town. 

His ruby red eyes glowed as he transformed to Chaos. Chaos quickly lifted up and flew to assess the damage. He touched down where the entrance of the caves once stood. He turned back to Vincent. His face dirty with ashes, his clothes ripped from the transformation, his ruby eyes frantically searching for any sign of Yuffie. In vane he searched, he didn't know for how long. Tears fell from his face and he couldn't hold it anymore. A primal screamed escaped his throat as he fell to the floor. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Godo heard the explosion, but he didn't have time to react; the Pagoda was destroyed by the debris. He didn't try to hold to life, he was going to be with the woman he loved; he just hoped Yuffie would have the same fate.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Author Notes: No, it isn't finished. Sorry for not sending it sooner, but I've been very busy lately. I hope the next chapter doesn't come out as late as this one did. Plz R+R.


	4. OLD CHAPTER 4

Title: Watching Eyes

Part 4

Author: Aura-chan

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Disclaimers: Yuffie, Vincent and any other FFVII character are property of Squaresoft. Shitsubou Kouu and other original characters are mine, if anyone wanted to use them (?) plz ask me first. This chapter takes place 23 years after the 3rd chapter of this fic.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Author Notes: Thanks for all the feedback ppl.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Vincent stood there, he watched his friends from afar, yes, unlike what other people thought and the fact that he didn't visit them in 23 years; he did considered them his friends. They were there when he woke up after 30 years of restless sleep and they were there when he helped them kill Lucrecia's son. He couldn't come back to them, not after Yuffie' death. It was still a controversial thought in his mind. His mind told him that he wouldn't see her again, but he still had hope. And that was the part that tore him up, everyday waking up with hope that he would see her again and going back to sleep without her. His thoughts turned from his past and he addressed the present. Here he was, saying his final goodbye to one of his friends. He watched as Shera cried on Tifa's shoulder, and Cloud by was her side.

Cloud and Tifa had married soon after Meteor was destroyed, and soon after that they had two kids. Barret had married Elmyra and together they had a boy, they raised the boy and Marlene in the rebuilt New North Corel. Nanaki had dedicated himself to the late Bugenhagen's unfinished research, but like his grandfather asked him to, he also traveled the world and protected it. Cait Sith was put in storage after Meteor was destroyed, but Reeve, once in a while, took it out and used it to entertain the kids in the many Avalanche birthday parties. Reeve was now the president of Shinra, Inc. and he used his status to help the planet and to try to help those who suffered under Shinra oppression. The Turks were still used by Shinra and Reeve, but they were used more as bodyguards than anything else. He was happy for them, Cid had a great life, he had a loving wife, kids, the Highwind, and he even had the Tiny Bronco; but his smoking habit cost him everything, at the age of 55 he died of Lung Cancer. After the ceremony, held near Rocket Town, they slowly parted ways. When everyone had left, Vincent stood there, his mind filled with memories, going back to the good and the bad times. _No point in staying here anymore…_ He was about to leave when he noticed a cloaked figure standing by the grave. The cloaked figure crouched by the grave and passed his/her fingers into the engraving in the marker. The figure got up and took off the cloak.

Vincent couldn't believe what he just saw… _Yuffie…_

Yuffie turned and looked at him, she gasped and disappeared. His knees hit the floor. "Could it be?" he asked to himself. _It had to be!_ He started running toward his gold chocobo. He had to find her!

--------------------------------------

Yuffie was practicing, she didn't know why. At this point it was useless, but it made her feel better. She continued with her kata, the one her mother taught her. If anything, it would keep her mind from things to come.

Vincent watched her from afar, all those years he had thought of things to say when he would finally meet her, but now that she was there, he couldn't think of any. Giving up, Vincent walked toward her.

Yuffie finished her kata and stretched. She turned, her eyes falling to the lone figure. _It can't be…_ Tears threatened to fall; she didn't know what to do. She slowly walked up to him, scared that he would just disappear into thin air. She touched his cheek, like she expected to go right through him. A single tear touched her finger.

Vincent Valentine was a man that didn't cry. If he had cried three times in his life, it was once too many. This was one of those times. He looked into Yuffie's eyes, also filled with tears. She let out a sob and threw herself at him. Vincent hugged her and picked her up. Their lips touched each other lightly. 

"How?" he asked, his lips brushing hers.

"Does it matter?" she asked back.

Vincent smiled. _No… not really, not now._

--------------------------------------

Vincent held a sleeping, naked, Yuffie in his arms. He remembered the last time that had happened, so long ago, but so fresh in his mind. Suddenly Yuffie started to stir violently.

"no…"she mumbled, still sleep. "…never…" Her voice was low, but urgent. "Why?" this time it was sorrowful. She screamed and sat up, abruptly. She took her hands to her face, sweeping away any sweat. She sat there, not saying anything for a while. Vincent didn't dare say anything either, he just hugged her. She started shaking and then a sob escaped her lips. Vincent hugged her closer and let her cry.

"I never wanted you to find me." She whispered. "Now I'll have to loose you all over again." 

Vincent didn't say anything for a while, but then took her chin and kissed her. "Yes, you did want me to find you. You left a trail to follow, it was hard to follow it, but it was there. You would never make such a mistake, unless at least some part of you wanted me to find you."

Yuffie let his words sink in, "But now I'll loose you."

"I'm not going anywhere?" He said with a smile.

"Vincent, I didn't win the battle in the Lifestream" She said, her voice so low that it was like she didn't want him to hear her.

"What happened?" Vincent asked her.

"I was battling him, I was tired. Staying in control in the Lifestream is hard, it's like the Sleeping Forest, but the powers in control are much stronger. Shitsubou was accustomed to such powers. I was not. Not only was I not used to the Lifestream, but I was having problems with my own powers. Having just acquired them, I didn't have full control and knowledge of them. I was losing my control; Shitsubou noticed that and used it against me. He went in my mind and tried to control me. He couldn't, he tried and tried. Tortured me for what seemed forever… For people with powers like Shitsubou and I, being inside the Lifestream changes our perspective of time. I don't know how long I battled with him, seconds, minutes, hours, months, years… it was all the same. Finally, I just gave up. He was just about to take control over me when something or someone separated us. A strange power surrounded me and it took me out of the Lifestream. It's strange, when I was surrounded by the power I heard some voices. I didn't understand what they were saying, but I wasn't afraid of them, I actually felt safe… Anyway, that was a few weeks ago. I traveled the world, trying to catch up with time, then I heard about Cid and I just had to come."

"Then you escaped, what's the problem?" asked Vincent.

"He still has some control over my mind, when I'm awake I can fight him, but when I'm sleep he can control my dreams. He knows everything about me and he knows how to use it against me. He's just waiting for me to snap. He can control my dreams and he has hundreds of years of experience with his powers, it just a matter of time before he comes and takes me."

"I'm not going to let him do that, together we can beat him." Vincent said caressing her face, trying to soothe her. "How well are you with your powers? Are his stronger than yours?"

"We have the same amount of powers, I can use them properly, but he has the control only years and years of experience can give."

"So you train, you have to at least try to fight him!" Vincent said. _I don't know what that guy did to her, but he's going to pay dearly for it._

"I know I should try, but unless there's a miracle… I don't see how I can win. Is it worth even getting our hopes up?" She looked down.

__

She doesn't even want to fight anymore! "Yuffie, you have to fight! I love you and I'll fight along side with you to protect our love. Will you do the same?"

Yuffie quickly looked up into his eyes, "Of course I will, but we still need a miracle to beat him!"

"You just train and let the miracles to me, ok? We've come to this point, why turn back now?" Vincent said.

Yuffie smiled at him and hugged him. _If I can't hope, I let him hope for both of us and maybe it will all be all right._

----------------------------------------

Vincent woke up early in the morning; Yuffie wasn't beside him. He got up and looked for her. He found her not far away, training. "I see you've decided to start now."

"Yes, although I'd like some help…" she said between katas.

"I have to go to take care of my part of the bargain. I'll be back soon." He clasped on his cape.

"And how do you suppose you'll do that?" Yuffie asked incredulously.

"I'll go visit the closest thing to a divine contact that we have. Come on, I'll take you to Kalm." He kissed her and mounted his golden chocobo. (Black's descendant, mind you ^^). 

"Ok," Yuffie said getting on the chocobo. _Divine contact?_

----------------------------------------

The couple arrived at Kalm and Vincent took Yuffie to the hotel and paid for a suite. "I'll be back as soon as I can, please stay here." Yuffie nodded and watched him leave. _I hope he doesn't get in too much trouble._

---------------------------------------

She materialized when he entered the cave. "Vincent," she greeted him.

"I know I don't deserve it and I know I shouldn't ask you… but I'm desperate." Said Vincent looking down, not being able to confront her gaze.

"You do deserve it. Vincent, all that has happened to me is no one else's fault but my own. I brought it up upon myself. I knew what was happening and I did nothing…." She couldn't continue, was cut off by Vincent.

"I should have done something to prevent it! I failed you, Lucrecia!" Vincent yelled.

"No you shouldn't; it wasn't your responsibility!" Lucrecia yelled at him, "I let him put my life and my child's life in danger. You and my son were the only victims here. You deserve to be happy, I thought she made you realize that. In any case, I know what you're here for. I'll help you two; bring her here, and take the objects she gave you for safe keeping with you. I promised someone that I'd help her, please bring her here as fast as you can. Now go, please!" Lucrecia disappeared, leaving Vincent to sort out the new information.

"Promised someone…" he whispered, repeating her words. _What did she mean by that? Whom? _He decided to ponder those thoughts on his way to Kalm. _I better tell Yuffie about this._

--------------------------------------

Yuffie sat down in the plaza, she ha gotten bored of staying in the suite. _Not even cable could make me stay in that room for that long._ The PHS (that Vincent had given her before leaving) beeped, she took the call. "Yes…I see…You're going where?…No way!…What did she say?… So, I have to go there… Ok… If anything happens, we'll meet at the cave…Ok… bye, love you!" With that she closed her PHS and put it in her pocket. "This is one bizarre twist of events…"

"Yes it is…" said a very familiar male voice from behind her.

---------------------------------------

Author Notes- See, I told you that wasn't the end! Anyway, I needed to find a way for Yuffie to come out from hiding and that was the moment I knew I had to kill someone from Avalanche. Why Cid? He was one of the older playable characters in the game and he smoked 24/7. Don't get me wrong, Cid is one of my favorite FVII characters, but you know how it is. Cancer is just the obvious answer and it is also in my personal life (my grandpa and grandma have cancer). Anyway, as always, tell me what you think. R+R

__


End file.
